The election manifesto of Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) that swept to power in Bihar with 178 seats was based on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s 7-point agenda that has pledged an investment of over Rs 2.7 lakh crore ($40.8 billion) as against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s promised package of Rs 1.25 lakh crore ($18.9 billion).

Nitish’s agenda for his state is simple; one, basic infrastructure, and two, education and skill development.

The agenda’s main focus is “bijli, sadak and pani” (electricity, roads and water/sanitation) along with a focus on youth employment, education, skill development and women’s empowerment.

Road connectivity and solid drainage system for all
(Planned budget Rs 78,000 crore)

The biggest share of planned expenditure is for roads. Bihar, home to 8.6% of India’s total population, has only 4.9% of total state highways in India.

The agenda promises to connect every village with all-weather roads. This promise is above the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY, PM’s rural roads programme).

The central government allocated Rs 1,548 crore in 2014-15 for Bihar under PMGSY, according to Lok Sabha data.

Continuous electricity for all
(Planned budget Rs 55,600 crore)

A total of 2,139,709 households were electrified in Bihar under the 11th Plan (2007-12) as against a target of 3,828,477 households.

The agenda promises that all houses in the remaining villages and habitations will have an electricity connection and get power in the next two years.

Only 3.09 million households (16.4%) in Bihar had electricity as the main source of lighting, according to census 2011.

Clean drinking water and sanitation for all
(Planned budget Rs 47,700 crore)

Only 10% houses (9.4 million) in Bihar had drinking water source within the house, and only 0.7% had tapped drinking water (0.8 million).

Nitish’s plan is to connect 17.9 million rural households and 1.6 million urban households with water pipelines–a total of 19.5 million households in 5 years.

Toilet in every home
(Planned budget Rs 28,700 crore)

The agenda promises to build a toilet in every home without one by constructing 16.4 million toilets in rural areas and 0.75 million in urban areas for a total of 17.2 million toilets within five years.

As many as 14.5 million households in Bihar did not have latrines in their houses and 11.8 million did not have bathrooms, according to Census 2011.

This CM has got his priorities right ! Roads, water, education, jobs, toilets …… thank God there are no fancy things like smart cities, nano technology hubs and the kind. I find investments in healthcare missing in the article.